SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 10, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/13/25
In this edition:
*Election Results
*Campaign Announcement
*Community Connections Day & Veterans Stand Down
*How Does Too Much Presidential Power Endanger Democracy?
*Stupid, Lazy, or Evil?
*Online Shopping
*Did You Know?
*Election Results
School and municipal elections are in the books. Let’s chat about some of the results:
First, we have some new records! Iowa City, Coralville, and the ICCSD all set turnout records! Nice work, voters!
In the ICCSD elections, incumbents Jayne Finch and Ruthina Malone won reelection, and will be joined by newcomer Jennifer Horn-Frasier. There was a very close race for the third seat, with Dan Stevenson just over 200 votes behind.
In the Iowa City Council elections, incumbent Shawn Harmsen won in District B with about 54% of the vote, and incumbents Bruce Teague and Megan Alter handily won the two At Large seats.
Coralville had by far the most candidates running this year, with two for Mayor and 8 candidates for 3 Council seats! In the results there, Laurie Goodrich moves from Council to the Mayor’s seat. She will be joined by incumbents Hai Huynh and Mike Knudsen, and newcomer Katie Freeman.
I was sad to see Lauren Whited and Cole Gabriel lose in Solon; both of have been excellent public servants. I was, however, pleased to see my friend Greg Morris claim a Council seat there.
Thanks to all who ran! Congratulations to all the winners!
*Campaign Announcement
IOWA CITY – Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan announced today that he will seek reelection in 2026.
“It has been a pleasure and a privilege serving as a Johnson County Supervisor,” Sullivan said. “We have accomplished some very good things, but we can do much more. I want to continue to push Johnson County to be the best it can be.”
Sullivan pointed to several accomplishments during his time in office. Since Sullivan joined the Board, he has led Johnson County in:
· Raising the minimum wage
· Increasing funding for affordable housing
· Creating the GuideLink Center
· Passing the Conservation Bond Initiative
· Passing the Human Rights Ordinance
· Creating the Free Tax Help Project
· Instituting the Buy Here Initiative
· Adding rural warning sirens
· Creating the Livable Community for Successful Aging Policy Board
· Creating the Local Foods Policy Council
· Adopting the Community ID
· Leading the transition to regional mental health care.
He led the fights to save the Sutliff Bridge and to preserve the Historic Poor Farm, and initiated the renaming of Johnson County after Lulu Merle Johnson.
Sullivan grew up on a Heritage farm just east of Sutliff. He lives in Iowa City with his wife, Melissa Fath, who does cancer research at the UI. They have 3 adult children, 5 grandchildren, and have served as Foster Parents for an additional 50+ children.
Sullivan has been active in numerous organizations, including AFT Local 716; Iowa City Federation of Labor; Housing Trust Fund, Affordable Homes Coalition; RSFIC; and St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.
Sullivan says his goals for Johnson County include addressing affordable housing, our mental health crisis, and climate change.
Because of a change in State law, Johnson County voters will be electing Supervisors by District beginning with the June 2026 party primaries. Sullivan said, “The voters just elected me to a four-year term one year ago. I want to let voters know that I plan on running to keep that seat regardless of how the District maps turn out.”
Sullivan can be contacted at 319-354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. You can visit his website at rodsullivansupervisor.com.
*Community Connections Day & Veterans Stand Down
Support & resource fair for veterans and individuals facing housing or financial instability.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 18, 9am-12pm
Where: Robert A. Lee Rec Center 220 S. Gilbert St.
Flu/COVID vaccines, HIV/STD testing, mobile pantry, blood pressure screenings, benefit signups, Nalaxone, healthy foot clinic & more!
FREE coats, hats, gloves, hand warmers, and other cold weather gear! FREE breakfast starting at 9am while supplies last!
*How Does Too Much Presidential Power Endanger Democracy?
The Iowa City Foreign Relations Council is hosting David Driesen Friday, November 14, 2025, from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM at the Old Capital Senate Chambers.
Driesen analyzes the chief executive's role in the democratic decline of Hungary, Poland, and Turkey and argues that an insufficiently constrained presidency is one of the most important systemic threats to democracy. Driesen urges the U.S. to learn from the mistakes of democratic decline in these countries.
*Stupid, Lazy, or Evil?
I have been using a line a bit lately, and I recently saw a friend on Facebook making a similar point. So let’s find out what Salvos readers think.
My argument is that too many left-of-center folks in the US, and far too many left-of-center folks in Johnson County, feel that everyone who disagrees with them has to be stupid, lazy, or evil. I think this feeds the “liberal elite” narrative that the Right uses so well.
To be clear – I agree that there are some folks who are stupid, some who are lazy, and yes, some who are evil. There are even folks who are a combination of two or three. I have definitely labelled others as stupid, lazy, and yes, evil. So I am not without sin. And I’ll even go so far as to say that perhaps it was fair of me to apply those labels in some cases. But we need to be careful. The fact is, people can disagree with us and *NOT* be stupid, lazy, or evil.
I grew up on a farm. My whole family on one side were farmers; the whole family on the other side were union construction and meatpacking workers. None of them had much formal education. I am biased, obviously, but I happen to believe both families contained a lot of really good people. Both families still do.
That said, I have family members on both sides who definitely disagree with me on political matters. I do not think they are all stupid, lazy, or evil. Sure, maybe a few are. But many are definitely not.
It is much easier to disagree with people you have dehumanized. That is why the US Army used to refer to fighting “gooks.” It is why some Republicans refer to the “Libs.” It is why there are slurs for almost every type of difference human beings can possess. It is much harder to call people stupid, lazy, and evil when they do not have names and faces.
I have been on the losing end of a bunch of primaries. Jesse Jackson. Tom Harkin. Bill Bradley. Howard Dean. Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Warren. In each case, I backed a more progressive candidate. I had two choices: tell the people who picked other candidates that they were stupid, lazy, or evil, and take my ball and go home. Or I could acknowledge the differences of opinion, but still work to elect Mike Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, and Joe Biden. I am proud that I chose to do the work. I firmly believe we got more progressive results because people like me chose to do the work.
There have been many important elections in Iowa’s history. But I am convinced that November of 2026 will be one of the most important. And the only way we are going to win is to have a large coalition of diverse voters. That coalition, by definition, is going to have to include some people with whom I disagree on some issues.
So how are we going to navigate this? Are we going to tell those with whom we disagree that they are stupid, lazy, and evil? Or are we going to recognize that we must work together despite some differences of opinion?
I know what I am going to try to do, and that is to build a big, diverse coalition. I want my construction, meatpacking, and farming family members to join my highly educated wife and liberal friends in electing a Democratic Governor and Congress in ’26 and a Democratic President in ’28!
*Online Shopping
The holiday shopping season is just around the corner. I know much of our shopping behavior has moved online, but I want to make a pitch for shopping locally.
Local businesses are the lifeblood of our community. They pay property taxes. They sponsor local events. They hire local people. And frankly, the products are better quality and more unique. Please shop local!
If you must shop online, at least do your best to avoid Amazon. They have been killing local economies for two decades now. They are bad. Bezos is bad. Please consider the impact of these actions.
Happy Holidays!
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa City set a city election turnout record Tuesday with 19,928 voters. The previous record was set in 2007 with 15,728 voters. A ballot issue on the bar admission age contributed to the record turnout.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:34 AM
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